RESUMO
To give an idea of the extent and long history of soil pollution as a public health problem, reference is made to the parasitic condition of the sick rural population, the decrease in living space and the consequent pollution brought on by overpopulation and growth of urban areas and industry throughout the world; reference is also made to the attempts at solution of this situation begun in Biblical times when "the efficient hygienic disposal of excrement... to combat contamination of the soil" was called for. Soil pollution is produced by pathogenic microorganisms which may be clasified in three categories: those expelled by man (man-soil-man), those transmitted by animals (animal-soil-man), and those which naturally exist in the soild (soil-man). Precise details are given - including incidence, infectious agents, reservoirs and method of communication - for the twenty most important diseases brought on in man by these microorganisms
In addition to the pathogenic agents of biological origin, there are also chemical and radioactive agents which pollute the soil and expose man to new health hazards. In this connection, mention is made of the use of pesticides and herbicides, which has increased enormously in the last 25 years, and the accumulation of radioactive materials resulting from atomic explosions ...(AU)